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Galley Tables

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Alaska's
waters are unforgiving, and it's the Coast Guard's job to keep mariners safe
any time of year. In this season of giving, as Captain Jack Kenyon says, what
better gift for your seafaring loved one than something from the Coast Guard's
nautical gift ideas list? Kenyon is the chief of prevention for the 17th
Coast Guard District.

At the top
of Kenyon's list is a marine GPS unit. If you don't know where you are, it's
easier to get lost and nearly impossible to help rescuers find you, even if you
have a handheld marine VHF radio, also on the list. A global positioning system
can pinpoint your location to within a few yards, helping you avoid hazards to
navigation.

A
406-megahertz EPIRB, or Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon,
is also high on the list, but remember to register it right away to help
searchers find you faster. Some of the new 406-megahertz models can also send
GPS information with its signal, allowing rescuers to home right in on your
location. In some remote locations, like miles out at sea or on some distant
and uninhabited shore, an EPIRB could be your only way to signal for
help, especially if you aren't carrying a satellite phone. While airliners
still monitor the old 121.5 megahertz EPRIB frequency, satellites
stopped picking up the signal on February 1st this year, so a new
406 model may just be the perfect gift this Christmas.

The rest of
the items on the Coast Guard's gift list are not quite as high-tech. A
floatation device, like a life jacket, float coat or survival suit, is vital if
worst comes to worst, as are a fire extinguisher, first aid kit and signal
flares.

The Coast
Guard also recommends a boating safety course and a vessel safety check as ways
to avoid potential emergencies and the need to break out the new EPIRB.

Find the
whole list by clicking "Read more" below this story.

Coast Guard's top nautical gifts ideas are:

A
Marine GPS navigation system

A 406
Mhz EPIRB (make sure you register it after purchase, or rescuers may be
delayed in reaching you! In remote Alaska areas, this may become
your ONLY way to call for help.)

A
Coast Guard-approved life jacket (because they float, you don't...)

A handheld
VHF marine radio

A
Boating Safety Course (boater education saves lives - it's a fact)

Vessel
Safety Check (VSC) from the Coast Guard Auxiliary (it's free!)

A
Coast Guard approved fire extinguisher

A
first aid kit in a watertight container

A seamanship
book

Nautical
charts for the areas your favorite mariner frequents

A
signaling kit (mirror, whistle and day/ night flares)

Clothing
that is warm and water resistant and appropriate for Alaska and its
extreme environments